The Election System

Angola ’s constitution allows for a semi presidential system, with a unicameral parliament or National Assembly that passes the legislation, a separately elected President and a Council of Ministers appointed by the President, that governs the country. The President formally announced parliamentary elections on 4 June 2008, setting a date for 5 September 2008.

The law provides for 223 Members (Deputados) of National Assembly, elected by proportional representation on a party list system. (Articles 29 to 33 of the electoral law). These are apportioned to 20 constituencies or circulos. Each of the 18 provinces is a constituency with five representatives (90 seats in total), there is one national constituency of 130 seats and one constituency for overseas voters with three seats. However, it has been considered too difficult to conduct registration for overseas voters and they will not be able to participate in the 2008 election.

Political parties and coalitions have to present their candidacy for election 60 days prior to the election, and demonstrate that they have supporters in all provinces by collecting signatures from between 5000 and 5500 registered voters nationally and a further 500 to 550 signatures for each province. After this has been verified by the constitutional court they are registered to contest the election.

The official election campaign period, wherein contesting parties and coalitions get state funds and free and equal airtime for campaign, runs from 30 days prior to the election until midnight two days before the election. No campaigning is allowed on the day prior to and the day of the election.

Seats are allocated provincially according to the proportion each party or coalition receives in that province using the D’Hondt system. The votes are then tabulated for the whole country in order to allocate the national seats. Members of Parliament are elected for four year terms.

The National Electoral Commission (CNE)

The National Electoral Commission (Commissão Nacional Eleitoral– CNE) is an independent body governing the conduct of all activities and operations related to the elections as well as to the supervision of voter registration.

The competencies and structure of the CNE are set out in the election law of June 2005, Título IX and the regulation on elections of August 2005. In accordance with this law, the CNE passed a regulation governing its own functioning (November 2005) and has several rights and duties under the code of conduct for elections (June 2005), subsection IV.

The election commission is independent and reports to parliament. It has responsibility for the conduct of all elections in the Republic of Angola and for supervision of voter registration. However, voter registration is seen as an administrative act and responsibility for its conduct is given to the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MAT) under its organic law of 1997.

The CNE consists of 10 members. Two members are nominated by the President of the Republic, one is a representative of the MAT and one is a member of the National Council for Social Communication. The other six members are nominated by the National Assembly – three by the ruling party or coalition, two by the leading opposition party and one by the party with the third largest number of seats. The President of the commission has the deciding vote.

The CNE has a secretariat which includes: the cabinet of the President of the commission; legal department; department of administration, finance and logistics; department for electoral organisation, statistics and IT; and a department for training, civic education and information.

The CNE also has offices in all 18 provinces and in each municipality and commune around the country. The Provincial Election Commissions (CPEs) have eight members; one nominated by the provincial governor, one by MAT and 6 by the political parties in the same way as for the CNE. An amendment to the election law, passed in May 2008, removed an additional member of the CPEs and of the CNE who were nominated for the relevant courts since this was found to be unconstitutional.

Under the CPE are the Municipal Election Offices, (GMEs) also with eight members nominated as before but with one member nominated by the Municipal Administrator. And below this come the Commune Election Offices, (GCEs).

These will administer the 12,400 polling centres where voting will be held around the country. Results of the election will be counted locally and transported to the GCE and form there to the GME. The GMEs will transmit the results to both the CPE and CNE. Tendered ballots will be counted at provincial level. The CPE will announce the allocation of the five seats allocated for that province. The CNE will receive the results from all provinces for the 130 national seats and determines the seat allocation. Final results will be announced within two weeks of Election Day.

For more information and for copies of all laws, CNE directives and deliberations, pleased see the CNE web site www.cne.ao